If there was ever a question on how Emmaus would bounce back following a disappointing loss to Easton in the District XI Class 6A Championship game last Friday, that was quickly answered one week later as the Hornets took the floor last night hosting their first-ever PIAA State Tournament game.
Facing a very talented Central Bucks East squad that sported a 24-5 record, four players who averaged in double figures and two 1,000-point scorers, there probably weren’t too many in the overflow crowd that packed into ‘The Hive’ that thought the Hornets could pull off the upset.
But they did.
In fact, head coach Avon Mack’s team played arguably one of their best overall games of the season.
And now they are moving on to the ‘Sweet 16’.
Led by a balanced scoring that featured four players in double figures and a prolific 3-point shooting attack that put up a season-high 11 triples, Emmaus knocked off District One’s fifth place entry as they earned a hard fought 65-58 win over the Patriots.
Senior Gabby DeVita was the catalyst as she scored 18 of her game-high 21 points after halftime to lead Emmaus to its first state win since the 2006-07 season when they defeated Scranton 51-39. That year, the Hornets advanced all the way to the state semifinals before falling to Council Rock North 44-33.
Fellow senior, Olive Whitney, also came up big in the win as she added 16 points on five 3-pointers, while sophomore Eva Glover added 14 and classmate Gracie Ervin 11 for the Hornets who improved to 21-7 on the season.
With the victory, Emmaus advances to the second round on Tuesday to face District 3 runner-up Dallastown, which defeated Spring-Ford. The site/time for the game will be announced on Saturday. LIVE coverage of the game will be provided by the Eastern Pa. Sports Network.
In a back-and-forth first quarter, Emmaus trailed 14-12 but the Hornets used a 19-13 second quarter to build a four-point lead (31-27) at the break. Whitney was the spark for the Hornet with four 3-pointers in the quarter.
Emmaus’ lead grew to as much as 11 in the second half before CB East trimmed the lead to four (46-42) after three quarters. In the final eight minutes, the Hornets were able to hold off the Pates comeback and pull away for the win going 5-for-6 from the free-throw line late in the quarter.
CB East was led in scoring by junior Haley Moran who had a team-high 20 points. Freshman Payton Williams added 16, while seniors Natalie Berndt and Jess Lockwood each 11 and 9 points respectively, for the Patriots who ended their season at 24-6. CB East has now lost in the opening round of the state tournament for three consecutive seasons.
This was the second meeting in the state playoffs between the two schools. CB East had defeated Emmaus 51-46 in the opening round back in the 2003-04 season.
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Check back later as this story will be updated with comments from head coach Avon Mack and seniors Olive Whitney and Gabby DeVita
Emmaus 65, CB East 57
CBE – Haley Moran 9 1-1 20, Emma Penecale 1 0-0 2, Natalie Bernst 4 1-1 11, Payton Williams 7 0-0 16, Jess Lockwood 3 1-1 9, Delaney Long 0, Massie Thompson 0, Haily Helmstetter 0. Totals: FG 24, FT 3-3, 3s (7 – Bernst 2, Williams 2, Lockwood 2, Moran)
Em – Olive Whitney 5 1-2 16, Eva Glover 5 3-4 14, Gabby DeVita 7 3-4 21, Gracie Ervin 5 1-1 11, Sierra Stevens 1 0-0 3, Gabby East 0, Olivia Haberl 0. Totals: FG 23, FT 8-11, 3s (11 – Whitney 5, DeVita 4, Glover, Stevens)
CBE – 14-13-15-16 – 58
Em – 12-19-15-19 – 65
Photo gallery courtesy of Tom Ashelman
#11 Gracie Ervin
#0 Olive Whitney
#3 Eva Glover
#35 Gabby East
#33 Sierra Stevens